This Lasting Darkness
by TealEyed-Quatre
Summary: Harry Potter, over a thousand years old and a professional assassin, find himself on a ship that crash lands on a dry, desert planet, devoid of life, with a dozen other passengers and an escaped convict. Warnings inside.
1. Prologue

A/N: This is NOT PLAGIARISM. I'm moving it from my other account to this one, and it's still up there so that people have time to find out that it's moving. My first ANYTHING with Riddick, so I hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: YAOI, violence, gore, swearing.

-Quatre

"_They say your brain shuts down in cryo-sleep. All but the primitive side; the animal side… No wonder I'm still awake."_

The thoughts echoed through his mind, cutting through the silence. He could smell the other passengers. Forty, maybe forty-plus. A woman: sweat, leather, tool belt; prospector type. A holy man and his sons, probably on their way to New Mecca. And Johns, the Blue-Eyed Devil. A merc, taking him to some desolate slam to spend the rest of his days in some gods-damned cell. But this time he'd picked a ghost lane. Long time between stops; long time for something to go wrong.

And something did go wrong. Alarms blared, waking the crew and captain. He took advantage of the confusion to escape into the ceiling. Bolts flew out of the hull and killed the captain. The pilot and the nav officer escaped into the cabin, dropping cargo and trying to level out. Johns, the holy man, and the two prospectors escaped only to stumble about, unable to stay steady.

Then they were burning through the atmosphere to make an emergency landing. The ship see-sawed back and forth, unable to get nose-down. Suddenly they were skidding across solid ground, tossed about in the rough terrain of some alien planet.

As they came to a stop, the holy man helped some of the others escape from their cryo-chambers: his sons, a coward, and a girl, maybe twelve or thirteen. Then Johns noticed that he was gone. He waited until the man was alone and dropped from the ceiling, ankle restraints wrapped around Johns' neck. He was yanked down to the flooring, and knew no more.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Okays, this is chapter one. I know they're short, but I have more on the way.

Chapter One

In another section of the ship, another man had awoken. He pounded on the door of the cryo-chamber, hand-cuffed. He wasn't stupid; he recognized the feeling of a ship crashing, even if he had no idea how he had ended up on it. The last thing he remembered was the door of his flat being kicked in and flooded with mercs.

He pounded harder on the door, shouting obscenities about the captain and crew. He was hungry, dammit!

LINEBREAK

He could hear them, smell them, even. Fry and Johns were discussing his fate. They decided to leave him there for the time being and left to continue working. He looked around, sight persisting even through the blindfold. He could see a break in the beam he was tied to. His arms protested as he forced them out of their sockets and brought them over his head. They popped back into place and he left, grabbing a pair of dark goggles on his way out of the ship. He dropped his restraints on his way into the sunset before circling back around towards the camp.

Richard B. Riddick, convict and murderer, was free again.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's chapter three! This fic will cover Pitch Black. I've planned one to cover Dark Fury and I'm working on the outline for Chronicles of Riddick as well.

Chapter Two

Someone was coming. He could smell them, moving closer to the place where he was trapped. He waited until he could see them and watched as the man sifted through the cargo, searching for something.

He was tall and muscular, a sculpted physique bulging in his thin tank top and functional pants. Shaved head, eyes invisible behind dark goggles… _Potential mate_.

That thought startled him from his musings. He hadn't sensed a potential mate in the two, three thousand years that he had been roaming the universe. Fate was playing tricks again… Had to be. What were the chances that the first time he allowed himself to be caught the ship crashed and his mate was on it? It was too good to be true. He shrugged absently. He'd just have to wait and see.

He swung his fists at the door again, smirking when the man whirled around to face him. He hit it again and the man pried open the door, holding a dagger to his throat as he stumbled out into open air.

"Who are you?" The other growled. He smirked and twisted out of reach, bowing gallantly.

"Harry Potter, professional assassin, at your service."

The other man mirrored his smirk, the dagger vanishing to its hiding place. "Richard B. Riddick, escaped convict and murderer."

"A pleasure, I'm sure…"

Harry's restraints soon lay on the battered floor of the ship, the two men nowhere to be seen.

LINEBREAK

They watched from the shadows as the other survivors worked, trying to repair as much of the ship as possible. They saw when the others discovered the third sun, and stole Paris' alcohol when he left his chair to speak to the others, though Harry didn't drink any. They smelled the blood when Zeke killed the unknown survivor, thinking he was Riddick. And they followed him to the mass grave he was digging. Harry didn't need oxygen to breathe, but Riddick did, and he wanted Zeke's oxygen container.

Harry watched alone from behind the spires as Zeke crawled into the hole and Riddick crept up on him. He didn't move when Zeke started screaming, even though Riddick didn't seem to have moved and he could smell the blood. Something wasn't sitting right with his instincts.

He stayed where he was, not giving away his presence as the female prospector saw Riddick, not even when he was re-captured by Johns. He just cloaked himself in the few shadows he could find and followed them back.

A/N: Okays! I want you guys to give me your thoughts on Harry's species in your reviews, okay? The next chapter reveals the truth. Thanks for reading. I hope you continue to enjoy it!


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Chapter Three. This is moving a lot faster than most of my stories do, so you guys should feel lucky. I'm excited about how it's going and how positive the feedback is. I do understand that the last chapter seemed a bit rushed, and I apologize. I'm trying to fix these things as I go, but sometimes they just don't work out. There will be much more in Harry's point of view as it gets further along. I just wanted to stick somewhat with the original Riddick storyline in the beginning and used him to emphasize that.

"You told Johns you heard something," said Carolyn Fry. She stood in front of Riddick, who was tied between two support beams on the ship. "What was it?"

He didn't reply. She turned away, fuming.

"Fine, don't tell me. But you remember that when we leave you here to rot-"

"You mean the whispers?"

Fry turned back to him in astonishment. "What?"

"The whispers, telling me to go for the sweet spot, fourth lumbar down, the abdominal aorta. What a gusher. Human blood is a little bit coppery, but if you cut it with peppermint schnapps-"

"Stop it!" She shouted angrily, chest heaving. "Show me your eyes, Riddick. Show me."

"You're gonna have to come a lot closer than that."

She walked a little closer, swallowing nervously.

"Closer."

He lunged forward with a growl, eyes snapping open. They shone silver in the dimness, pupil barely distinguishable from the iris.

She gasped, but before she could speak, someone else did.

"Where can I get eyes like that?" The kid, Jack, stood behind her, next to the ladder.

"You gotta kill a few people."

"I can do that."

"Then you gotta get sent to a slam where they tell you you'll never see daylight again. There, you dig up a doctor and pay him twenty menthol Kools to do a shine on your eyes."

"So you can see who's sneaking up on you in the dark?"

"Get out of here!" Fry shouted. She turned back to Riddick, who was calm and relaxed, at least in appearance.

"Cute kid," he said, smirking.

"Now you listen to me, you, you-"

"You what?" Another voice said from behind her. She whipped around, eyes flitting from shadow to shadow, but she saw nothing.

"Here." They whispered in her ear. A sharp blade pressed against her throat and was gone. She turned again, visibly shaken. Goosebumps rose on her arms.

A figure stood in the darkness to Riddick's left. Green eyes glinted in a hidden face. And then he stepped into the light.

He was pale, as if he had never seen the sun, with a feminine jaw and high, sculpted cheekbones. Flawless skin complemented almond-shaped eyes the color of emeralds. His raven-black hair hung in a thick braid to his waist. His clothes were black, simple but fitted for easy movement. One shapely brow rose in amusement as she studied him and she flushed, upset at getting caught.

"W-who are you? I don't remember you from when we loaded," She asked suspiciously.

"Harry Potter at your service, _Captain_." He bowed mockingly. "I do believe that Mr. Johns neglected to describe the nature of some of his cargo."

Her jaw dropped. The thought that Johns-or anyone- could put a person in the cargo hold without the crew knowing was staggering. She abruptly left the ship, ready to rip Johns a new one.

Harry turned back to Riddick with a mischievous smile. "That went well."

The bald man snorted.

Harry leaned down to look at the restraints. One shot would do it, but that would attract attention. He sighed, flicking his plait back over his shoulder. He didn't feel much like explaining this, but it was looking like he had no choice.

With a subtle hand movement, the restraints unlocked and clattered to the floor. Riddick watched him suspiciously.

"Not here," Harry said quietly. He snuck out of the ship and led the way to the bone yard. The other survivors were making their way through it, studying the massive skeletons. They settled in a well-hidden niche to talk.

"What are you?" Riddick asked. His body was tense, waiting to see whether or not Harry would prove an enemy.

Harry raked a hand through his long bangs, frustrated. "You certainly know how to start with a hard question."

Riddick grunted.

"Do you know what a vampire is?"

"Of course. But that doesn't explain how you unlocked the restraints."

Harry sighed. "I've been a vampire for two, three thousand years. Before that I was a wizard. I retained these powers after I inherited vampirism from my father."

Riddick just stared.

Harry's eye twitched. "I'm serious, dammit! I was born in 1981 A.D., before Earth had even managed to leave their solar system." He stood to leave and spoke over his shoulder, "Now you know what I am. Whether or not you choose to believe me is your choice, but we have to keep moving. I don't want to be here when Johns finds out we escaped."

They followed silently behind the others. At the end of the canyon lay a small settlement. The doors and windows were worn and battered. Debris littered the hard-packed dust. There was no sign of life.

"Hello! Anybody here?!" Fry called.

The holy man, Imam, inspected an awning filled with dried plants. "There was water here!"

"Well there isn't any now, said Johns dryly.

Imam's children raced ahead, shouting and laughing, Harry watched them with no small amount of envy. That even in a place like this, they could run and play without consequence… He shook off his thoughts. Now was not the time to be distracted.

Riddick had long wandered away, so Harry followed Johns, waiting until he was alone. Then he crept up behind the man and yanked his arms behind his back, leaning up to whisper in his ear.

"Hello, Johns. Remember me?" A sharp blade slid across Johns' jugular, leaving behind a thin red line.

"Funny, how you conveniently forgot to check your cargo after the crash," Harry chuckled darkly.

"What do you want?" Johns was beginning to sweat and there was a nervous tic in his eyebrow.

"I want you to let Riddick and I join your little group. I refuse to let you leave us on the rock, you coward."

"And what do I get in return?" he swallowed heavily.

The blade slipped from his throat to rest against his trousers. "You keep your life… And I won't castrate you. How does that sound?"

"Sounds g-good." Johns scrambled forwards as he was released, gulping air like a grounded fish.

Harry laughed. "You better honor that promise, Johns. I would hate for one of the children to find your body if you didn't."

A/N: Am I the only one who likes screwing with Johns?


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: I have officially finished writing this fanfiction. There are ten chapters total, and after I finish typing and uploading I will go back and edit/expand the previous four, okay? Thank you so much for sticking with me for so long!!!!!

Chapter Four

Riddick followed the town's main road until he reached a large, domed building. Tarps covered solar generators on either side. Two words were painted on the doors: Coring Room.

He knelt in the dirt in front of them and picked up a small lantern, the glass bulb long since shattered. Why would they need a light source on a planet that had no night? As he turned to leave, a shuffling noise emitted from beneath the tarp. He yanked it off, revealing the young girl, who was masquerading as a boy named Jack. Her head was shaved and she wore a set of broken goggles, obviously in an imitation of him. She froze for a moment before slipping out of sight.

Riddick made his way back to the center of town. The others were sharing glasses of water in one of the houses. He found a place in the shadows to listen as the speculated about the fate of the previous inhabitants.

"Maybe they just left?"

"Why would they leave with their clothes on the hooks and their photos on the shelves?" he asked.

"Maybe they had a weight limit."

"I know that you don't prep your emergency ship unless it's a fucking emergency."

"He's fucking right," said Jack.

"Watch your mouth!" Fry shot him and angry glare, to which he didn't respond.

Imam looked around the room. "Where is Ali?"

A sudden loud scream startled them out of their seats.

"Has anyone checked the Coring Room?"

LINEBREAK

Harry laughed to himself as he watched them scurry about in terror like rodents. Their fear just smelled so delicious! And now they knew that there was something more dangerous out there than Riddick.

He could hear them just below the surface, moving restlessly. They knew that something was coming. They had waited for decades to see it. It was almost time to break the spires, almost time to feed…

Harry shook his head, brushing off the voices. He needed to make sure those idiots were prepared for the apocalypse.

LINEBREAK

He knew that those doors had been sealed for a reason, and he was proven correct when they heard another loud scream as they made their way through the town. They raced to the Coring Room, where Johns shot the lock open and kicked in the door.

A flock of tiny, shrieking creatures swooped over their heads before diving into a deep shaft at the center of the building. They moved slowly and carefully, shining their lights in every corner, nook and cranny.

Riddick stepped through into the next room, looking at all the supplies left behind. There was no way that these people had escaped the planet, and he was beginning to see why.

He watched from the shadows as Imam pulled open cabinet doors, calling his son's name. Then the holy man reached the last storage locker. When he pulled the doors open, the half-eaten body of his youngest son fell onto the floor in front of him. The skull seemed to grin mockingly in a foretelling of the carnage to come.

A/N: Thank you so very much for reading. There should be at least one more chapter out tonight. :)


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: This is chapter five. Please enjoy and let me know what you think. Thank you very, very much. –Quatre

Chapter Five

Harry watched Fry run system checks on the ship from his place in the ceiling, flipping a dagger between his fingers and around his hands. It was amusing how she called herself "Captain" and yet did whatever Johns told her to. Really, she didn't hold any actual authority.

Laughing to himself, he swung down and landed silently behind her chair. Time to plant some doubts.

LINEBREAK

Riddick knew what Harry was doing. He waited until the small vampire had left the ship, then stepped inside and leaned against a small storage container. He could smell her fear; see it in the way the hair rose on the back of her neck even as sweat trickled down her forehead.

"I don't think we're going to get out of here on one power cell," he said quietly, smirking when she whirled around to face him. She swallowed nervously and powered the ship down.

"But it doesn't make sense not to run a full engine check, does it, _Captain_? No. The only reason you'd do that would be if Johns told you how I escaped the prison." He examined her face, and she looked away, turning to study the monitors.

"I got the quick and dirty version."

His smirk grew a little. "Of course. Why don't you ask Johns why he gets the shakes, and why your friend had to scream so painfully when he died."

She whipped her head around to look at him, but he was gone.

LINEBREAK

Harry settled himself on a boulder next to Riddick. They sat outside the emergency ship, Harry watching in amusement as the convict used motor grease and a piece of scrap metal to shave his head.

He was pondering how to breach the subject of mating. Just because he was sexually submissive didn't mean he was weak in any way, and he wouldn't tolerate disrespect on the part of a potential dominant. He also knew that they wouldn't need any distractions in the coming fight for survival.

His eyes narrowed as Johns came around the corner. The merc leaned his forehead on the heated metal of the ship's exterior and gagged, shaking and regurgitating the contents of his stomach, which was mostly alcohol.

"Not a good sign, havin' the shakes in this heat." Riddick drawled without turning his attention from his task.

"You might want to come see this!"

They leisurely climbed to their feet and gathered with the others on the main street.

A huge, ringed planet loomed on the horizon, moving steadily towards the twin suns overhead.

As the rest of them stood, awestruck, Fry's jaw dropped and she raced into one of the buildings. The others snapped out of it and followed.

Inside, she was turning an outdated, mechanical model of the system. They watched as she turned it one last time, to see all the stars and planets line up in a perfect eclipse.

She stared at it, trembling, before addressing the group.

"All the core samples were dated twenty-two years ago, this month. So every twenty-two years…"

Riddick spoke up from the corner.

"I hope you're not afraid of the dark, then."

A/N: I swear, chapters seven through ten are at least twice as long. I know it seems rushed, that's going to change when I go back and edit it.


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Chapter six!!! I've got a snow day, so I should get much more done today, if my little brother doesn't hog it the whole time. This chapter is really short, but the rest are much longer, so please be patient.

I'd like to give a personal shout-out to Kira Kyuuketsuki, who is helping keep my spirits up. Love you!

Chapter Six

Harry stood, cloaked in shadow, next to Riddick and listened to the other survivors make hasty plans. He didn't need them to give him a duty; he would decide where and when he would help them—if at all.

He waited until all the rest had climbed into the sandcat before hopping in and settling himself in a corner by Jack. The vampire liked her and she would survive this hell if he had anything to say about it. Eerie shadows stretched across the bone yard in the quickly fading light.

A fast-approaching overhang caught his eye and he grabbed Jack's pant leg, yanking her onto his lap just in time. She turned to gape, somewhat awestruck, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't particularly relish the thought of having a fangirl. _Even one as unconventional as this_, he thought, eyeing her shaved head.

A large bump in the terrain jolted him from his thoughts and he turned his attention back to his surroundings. The land rushed past in a blur of bleached white and dirty tan. Then they were out of the bone yard and speeding across open ground.

Harry's sensitive eyes detected faint vibrations from the spires. The hatchlings were gathering to see their first eclipse. They would be the first to emerge onto the surface. He knew that at least one of their party was to be lost very soon.

The sandcat skidded to a stop in front of the wreckage. Shazza and the children stayed behind as the others rushed inside, releasing the power cells and gathering weapons. Johns and Fry each took one while Riddick hoisted the last two onto his massive shoulders.

Just as they finished loading and were preparing to jump in, the sandcat died. Shazza pounded her fist on the controls a few times, cursing. Then they all jumped out.

"Come on!" Paris called from the other section, the cargo hold. "Run!"

As he spoke, the spires crumbled away and thousands of screeching hatchlings filled the air.

They ran.


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Chapter seven. Please enjoy!

Chapter Seven

Riddick ran at the back of the group next to Shazza, watching for anyone who fell behind. The others quickly made it to the cargo hold and clambered in, turning to watch as the hatchlings swept towards them.

"Get down!" Someone cried. He and Shazza hit the dirt moments before the swarm reached the spot where they had been standing.

They waited a moment, frozen. Then Shazza bolted, trying to make it to the cargo hold. The fear poured off her in waves, creating a palpable tension in the air.

She hadn't been on her feet for five seconds before the swarm descended and ripped her neatly in half. Her body disappeared, still screaming, into the cloud of moving bodies.

Riddick waited until they were fully distracted before sprinting the last few feet to the ship and slamming the door shut behind him.

LINEBREAK

Harry stood behind Jack where she sat with the others.

"So what should we do?" Paris looked around at the group. "Should we wait it out?"

"The model gave me an impression of a long-lasting darkness," said Imam quietly.

They flinched as a screech and then a crunching sound echoed through the darkness around them.

Fry sighed in frustration, running her fingers through her short, salt-stiff hair. "We need to get to the ship. How much light do we have?"

Johns took inventory. "Three hand lights and a blowtorch; a couple of flares."

Paris spoke up. "Anything over forty-five proof burns rather well."

"How many bottles you got?"

"I don't know, maybe ten?"

And so it went. Fry led the others in ripping the emergency light tubing from along the ceiling of the cargo hold. They carried them out to the skiff and rigged a generator, extending the tubing so that it could wrap around each of the survivors for protection.

Then they set about taking apart the flares. The cord for absorbing fuel was settled carefully into each bottle of alcohol and secured so that none would leak.

They were as ready as they were going to get. Harry and Johns heaved the power cells onto the skiff and took their places on either side while Riddick slung a light over his shoulder and took point.

"I want light at my back and not in my eyes," he said gruffly. The dark goggles were yanked down to rest around his neck.

Imam looked around him as they were leaving the cargo hold.

"Where is Hassan?" He asked, eyes darting among their numbers frantically. Johns grabbed the holy man's arm and yanked him into his place next to the skiff, a muscle in his neck twitching visibly.

"We'll burn a candle for him later. Hurry up!"

Harry made sure that Jack stood directly behind him where he could cover her if need be. The glare he gave Paris when he opened his mouth shut the rest of them up, too. He smirked beneath his bangs. It was just too easy.

LINEBREAK

They moved quickly to keep up with Riddick, Suleiman and Jack panting as they strained to keep pace with the adults. Harry glanced over her shoulder and smiled encouragingly at her. His hunger was growing with each power-filled step across the hot earth. Dark green eyes focused on Paris, on the other side of the skiff.

The antiques dealer was sweating nervously, expression quickly becoming overwhelmed with panic. He began to fidget in excess, eyes darting back and forth in the dark, unable to meet Harry's piercing gaze.

All of a sudden, Paris lunged away from the skiff, taking Jack with him and knocking the power generator off its bearings. Harry dove after them, an angry growl bubbling from his throat. He grabbed Jack and ripped the tubing off of her and Paris before turning and shoving her back towards the skiff.

He could hear the creatures moving closer, drawn by the scent of the idiot's fear. Angrily, Harry clamped his mouth around Paris' exposed arm and drank deep. One, two, three seconds, and he was throwing the man to his death and joining the others.

They had lit the torches; there wasn't time to fix the generator. They tumbled it onto the dirt and stripped off the tubing as fast as they could. Harry took a torch and grasped the chains connected to the skiff. His hunger partially satisfied, he could sense Jack behind him, sweating and nervous and terrified, like the others.

Harry closed his eyes and _pulled_, letting the magic guide his steps and augment his strength. The group strained to keep up, muscles twinging, their panting breaths like shouts to his sensitive hearing.

Despite the setback, they made good time across the cooling landscape, following the bobbing glow of Riddick's hand light. Their torches flickered green, the smell of burning alcohol acrid in their nostrils. Harry could sense the valley of bones ahead as they drew near.

Riddick had stopped just before the entrance to the gorge, and Harry looked at him quizzically, knowing that he could see the expression perfectly in the dim glow.

"I circled ahead. There's too many, we'll lose at least one more in the valley," Riddick said to him softly. Harry nodded and closed his eyes, stretching out his magic in a way that allowed him to connect his mind to the timestream.

There, he could see the fate of anyone meant to die in the next half an hour. Green eyes opened and he used a tiny motion of his head to indicate the one who would die next. Riddick cast him a sharp look, but turned back to the rest.

"We need to move as quickly as possible, he said loudly as he pivoted around to leave. "And whatever happens, don't look up."

LINEBREAK

A/N: Sorry about the time lapse, I had a whole lot of homework and no time to type. On top of that, my computer is infected with all kinds of who-knows-what, so I have to wait for Da to fix it.


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: Chapter Eight.

Chapter Eight

The group surged into the gorge, sweating profusely and straining for breath. Johns moved ahead to talk with Riddick, glancing over his shoulder to make sure none of the others could hear.

"Hey," he said with a nervous grin. "You think we could use a little bait to keep those things offa us?"

Riddick grunted. "Which one are you suggesting?"

Johns' grin became a little more confident. "The little one, Jack. If you head back and take care of him, I'll keep watch. If we drag the body forty, fifty yards behind the skiff…" He trailed off meaningfully, hoping that Riddick would take the hint.

The convict slowed a little and examined him from the corner of one gleaming silver eye. "Are you sure we don't need a bigger piece of bait?"

Johns saw red. With an angry shout, he dove at the other, reaching for the gun at his waist. His mind was empty save for his rage and the desperate need to survive.

LINEBREAK

Harry wasn't surprised when Johns veered off to speak with Riddick. It was amusing to see that even though he was terrified of them both, he still believed that his manipulations would work.

He peered over his shoulder to check on Jack. He understood, more than most, that she was the most vulnerable. A little smile spread across his face as he watched her. Her determination and drive were encouraging… He wasn't about to let this one die on him.

Ahead, Riddick and Johns were locked in a battle to the death. Riddick's hand light and Johns' torch lay forgotten on the ground, giving the situation and eerie green atmosphere as it caught the occasional glimpse of bare flesh or a glint of weaponry. Harry could see the creatures gathering around them, drawn in by the blood splashing the dust. Back and forth, back and forth…

And then it was over. Harry watched dispassionately as Johns stepped out of the light for a split second, and then Riddick was ushering them further into the gorge. They advanced as rapidly as they could, through massive skeletons and over rocky ground formations. Thick, warm liquid splashed their exposed skin and soaked through their clothes.

Without looking, Harry knew that it wasn't rain, not yet. The torch-lights revealed blue blood, viscous and tepid like gravy, oozing down their faces. Above them, the screeching battle cries of the creatures echoed off the canyon walls as they began to attack each other. _A feeding frenzy._

Fry screamed, frozen with terror, as she watched them with wide eyes. Harry snarled and yanked hard at the skiff, successfully distracting her into moving again.

Their heartbeats had sped up, and, rolling his eyes, Harry guided them to rest momentarily against one of the gorge's sheer walls. They labored for breath, straining to keep their eyes off the horrors commencing above them. He kept one deceptively slim hand wrapped in Jack's sleeve and absently flicked a finger, erasing he scent of her blood before anything could notice.

Suddenly a tail wrapped around Suleiman's neck and he was dragged unceremoniously up the cliff and out of sight. His panic-stricken shrieks were quickly overpowered by the joyous, frenzied cries of the creatures.

Three left and counting.

Ignoring Imam's obvious despair, Harry dragged them all back into positions around the skiff. They tried and failed to move it and Harry growled in irritation. Riddick's return only increased his frustration and he moved closer to the man, gesticulating wildly.

"They're not strong enough," he murmured with a huff. "I can take two cells on my own and so can you, but we can't protect them like that."

Riddick gave the ragged, fearful group an appraising look, then said, "Bring the woman and hind the other two. We'll come back for them."

Understanding, Harry nodded sharply and turned back to them.

"Fry, you're with us." He barked. "You two, in that crevice. Take your torches and huddle up, we'll return from you when the ship is running."

Jack opened her mouth to protest, but closed it at the look on his face. She grabbed Imam's sweaty hand and pulled him into the dark cave after her. As strange as he was, she trusted Harry.

Riddick carefully rolled a large boulder over the opening, sealing them in what they hoped was relative safety. A few broad searches with the lights revealed that it was empty but for them and some strange, phosphorescent larvae on the ceiling.

They watched, sweating and petrified and covered in congealing blue blood, as the last torch slowly died and spluttered out.


	10. Chapter 9

A/N: Chapter Nine. One more to go!!! Special thanks to my friends and all my reviewers, for whom I'm posting this. Your encouragement is the light of my life.

Chapter Nine

Riddick had a power cell on each shoulder and ran in front of Harry and Fry, who dragged the other two behind them on the skiff. He could smell the woman's sweat and fear, but the vampire only exuded determination and strength.

That strange power- _magic, _Riddick reminded himself- crackled in the air, seeping away the exhaustion and encouraging them to move faster, smarter, _better_.

The torches were beginning to flicker, and he increased his pace a little. Their survival depended on those lights. They plunged forward and across the open plain between them and the outpost.

Suddenly they were at the ship and they were shoving the cells into place while Fry powered it up. Riddick wrenched his goggles into place as the lights clicked on and they could hear the creatures scrambling away, flesh burning. It was pouring rain, now, and the torches were almost dead.

He shared a calculating look with Harry and they turned back to Fry, who was strapping on the hand light. Harry hit the button to close the ramp and she looked up, enraged. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she struggled for words to express her anger.

Riddick strode forward and gripped her upper arms, forcing her into a seat.

"Come one, Carolyn. Time to go."

"No! We have to go back for them!" She wrenched out of his grip and managed to lower the ramp. Harry leaned against a wall, looking unconcerned.

"Come on, Carolyn, it's not that hard." Riddick said smoothly, assuredly. "After all, it's what you tried doing to us."

She was shaking and crying now, and she glared up at him from behind the hair plastered to her face.

In a surge of frantic adrenaline, Fry jumped to her feet and tackled him, screaming obscenities. They rolled down the ramp and into the mud. She beat her fists on his chest when he pinned her.

"Would you die for them?" he demanded.

"I would try for them," she said hoarsely.

He shook her shoulders. "Would you die for them?!"

"I would!"

Riddick let go of her and they remained that way for a few tense moments, examining each other's muddy faces as cool rain poured down on them.

"Hey! You guys better hurry up and decide what we're doing!"

The sound of Harry's voice startled them into pulling apart. Fry scowled up at Riddick and stomped across the muddy ground to snatch up her fallen torch, boots sucking up moisture with every step.

A moment of indecision and she was racing off into the black. Riddick followed and they weaved their way among the old buildings. The deluge eclipsed all sounds but the cries of the creatures as they rended each other into pieces, driven mad by hunger and blood-lust. They evaded as many as they could, armed only with a few knives. Fry's handgun was useless in the damp.

Riddick gripped his shiv tighter as he trailed behind, watching the planet's only inhabitants tear each other to shreds in his night vision. So far, they had gone practically unnoticed in the frenzy, but it would only last so long.

Suddenly Fry was turning a corner and when he moved in the same direction, his path was blocked by one of the creatures. He quickly slipped into its blind spot and moved with it, swaying back and forth as it studied the area hungrily.

When it began to step forwards he readied himself to dart around it. His lunge was interrupted by the landing of another just opposite the first and he realized that he was probably done for- not that he would go down without a fight. There was no way he could remain in both of their blind spots as once.

He ran.

In a split second he was rounding the corner and racing towards the gorge, heart pounding in tandem with every step. Adrenaline screamed through his veins and the world around him began to slow down.

Riddick saw the long, thin tail before it completed its swing, grabbing hold and using it to empower the drive of his shiv into the thing's heart. He whipped around just in time to catch a set of knife-like claws in the shoulder.

He stumbled back, eyes flashing. One arm swung around with inhuman speed, scraping over the bony crest and sinking into one beady black eye. He yanked it out, smirking as it shrieked, ruined eye socket gushing thick blue blood.

They began to attack each other, driven into a renewed mania by the scent of blood. Riddick took the opportunity to slip back between two crates, nursing his wounds.

Despite the speed with which he staunched the bleeding, he was becoming rather weak. The adrenaline rush was beginning to wear off and he was going to crash, and crash hard.

Just as he began to slip to his knees, a pale face appeared above him.

Carolyn Fry's dirty blonde hair was flat against her scalp and she was panting harshly. She glowered down at him, a disapproving figure in blinding shades of purple.

"I said I would die for them, not you!"

He blinked at her, surprised, and then she was dragging him to his feet and forcing his arm to rest across her thin shoulders.

"Come on, come on…" Fry strained to support his nearly-limp body as they stumbled toward the canyon together. One step, two, a pause, and then another. He started to regain his strength and pulled away from her to take a few more steps on his own. They couldn't afford to waste time like this!

Riddick swiveled around to catch Fry as she abruptly fell towards him, and he could see blood trickling from her open lips. She looked him with wide eyes for but a moment and then she was gone, disappearing into the swarm of hungry alien creatures.

He dove into the gorge, knowing that there wasn't any more time left to waste. He ran as fast as he dared, creeping behind boulders and bones to minimize exposure, but he scaly things were mostly occupied tearing each other apart.

He reached the cave with minimal difficulty and shoved the stone from the entrance. Peering in, he could just register Imam and Jack's terrified faces. They were vaguely illuminated by a collection of phosphorescent grubs they seemed to have collected in an empty bottle.

_Whatever works,_ he thought and reached in to grasp their wrists. Without a word he released them and raced back to the mining camp and their only chance at getting off the planet from hell.


	11. Epilogue

A/N: THE LAST CHAPTER!!!!! My poor baby all finished up.

In any case, the sequel's in the writing process already, so it shouldn't be too long before I post it.

Thanks for all the support from my reviewers and extra-special thanks to Kara Kyuuketsuki, xAschlukeluverx, and xXDancerintheDarkXx, without whom this NEVER would have been finished. This chapter is dedicated to them.

Chapter Ten

Harry tapped his fingers anxiously on the armrest of the copilot's chair.

Where were they? They should have been back already, especially since he had felt Carolyn Fry's death almost twenty standard minutes ago. And though he really liked Jack and Imam, he was much more concerned about Riddick.

This man, this Alpha, was the first potential mate he'd sensed in his entire life- and his life had been very long, and very lonely.

Not that you could tell by looking at him. A vampire who was born, not made, could choose when they stopped aging. He himself had chosen twenty-five, desiring to be out of adolescence and into his prime years. His father had chosen his late thirties in order to create a better illusion of humanity.

He broke from that train of thought when he felt three minds breach the proximity ward he'd placed in the center of the town. Harry stood and flitted to the control panel and turned on the floodlights above the boarding ramp.

Several screeches and the scent of burning flesh reached him as creatures scrambled to escape the deadly vestiges of light.

He smirked and flicked his plait over his shoulder as feet pounded up the ramp. Riddick slid into the pilot's chair with a squelch and the other two collapsed into a drenched pile of limbs near the door. The sound of their panting breaths filled the room as Riddick closed the ramp and powered up the engines.

Harry sauntered over to stand behind Riddick, steady and unaffected, like a sentinel. He watched as the convict suddenly shut everything down, a smirk playing about his lips in the red emergency lighting.

"What are you doing?!" Jack cried. Her fear was gaining the upper hand, exasperated by the circumstances. Harry reading a sleep spell, just in case, but it was unneeded.

"We can't without saying goodbye," Riddick said quietly. In one smooth movement, he powered it all back up and fired the engines, lifting off.

Shrieks of pain swelled up around them, almost drowning out the rumble of the engines. They shot into the sky, burning through the atmosphere and bursting into open vacuum at last.

LINEBREAK

Harry admired the empty void as Imam and Jack situated themselves in the cargo hold, wrapping tightly in blankets taken from the camp.

He wasn't cold, despite the cropped leather vest and torn trousers. Vampires weren't affected by temperature changes, excepting the very extreme. Riddick looked the same, expression stoic.

"Hey, Riddick?" Jack piped up from within her nest. "What do we say if we run into mercs?"

He didn't even turn to look at her, eyes focused on the panel of instruments at his fingertips.

"Riddick died back there on that planet. I'm just Johns, bringing in my bounty." He jerked a thumb at Harry on the last word.

"Oh."

She didn't speak again, instead choosing to settle in for some sleep. Her fuzzy, dirt-smudged scalp was just visible over the edge of the hunter-green fabric. Harry sent her a fond glance- she'd be fun to raise, if he got that chance.

He shook that notion off as quickly as it came to him and slipped into the copilots chair next to Riddick. With one hand, he tapped a control and turned the lights down. The stars shone unnaturally bright through the viewing window.

It was an awe-inspiring sight, as it always had been throughout his long, melancholy nights.

Harry looked up at them now, and for what was probably the first time in a thousand years, wondered what that lasting darkness might hold.

Fin.


End file.
